Method of making food products



u 1950 J. ALEXANDER 2,512,591

METHOD OF MAKING FOOD PRODUCT Filed Sept. 29, 1947 mummn IN VEN TOR.

131:4 es BA LEXANDER WWW ATTORNEY Patented 'June 27 1950 METHOD MAKINGPRODUCTS James B.'Alexander, Denver, Colo.

Application September 29, 1947, Serial No. 776,790

. 1 t This invention relates toimprovements in food products and methodsfor making the same.

The food product that is sold under the name of potato chips? hasmetwith widespread ac ceptance and is made and sold in large quantities.However, there are other vegetables that .are as well suited forprocessing by hot fat dehydration as potatoes, among which the mostimportant are carrots. Although carrot chips can be sliced anddehydrated or cooked in the same manner as potato chips, the productthus obtained lacks certain properties that are present in the ordinarypotato chips. I

-It has been found that if slices-of potato have superposed thereonslices of carrot and the combined potato and carrot slices are subjectedto a dehydrating action or cooking in a-heated liquid fat, a product isobtained that possesses highly desirable properties, such ascharacteristic flavor, better keeping qualities, a novel and agreeableappearance, and a pleasant taste. In addition to this, the carrotssupply certain valuable vitamins.

This invention, briefly described, consists in slicing potatoes in amanner now common, distributing the slices on a screen, depositingslices of raw carrot on the potato slices, subjecting the assembly to aslight pressure to effect a close contact between the potato and carrotslices and then depositing the assembly in fat heated to the temperatureusually employed with the processing of potato chips alone. Theresultant product is permitted to drain leaving a dry, crisp foodproduct composed of potato and carrot chips. It has been found that whena carrot chip is placed on a freshly cut raw potato chip and forced intoclose contact therewith before they are subjected to the frying ordehydrating action,

they will adhere to each other forming a prod- Figure 2 is a, top planview showing a potato i chip with a carrot chip resting thereon; and

Figure 3 shows a side elevation of the food product after it has beenprocessed.

Referring now to the drawing, reference numeral 5 represents a cookingvat that contains 25Claims. (Cl. 99-100) a quantity of suitable oil B.This -'is spaced from the floor by means of suitable supportsl'andunderneath the bottom are a number of gas burners 8, by meansof whichthe liquid fat 6 is maintained at a proper temperature.-

Reference numeral 9 designates atank of some suitable construction thatcontains a quantity of water M. Positioned above tank Ill isa'conventional potato slicer ll. Reference numeral l2 indicates potatochips that are dropping into the water in tank [8. A paddle wheeli3 isrotated in counterclockwise direction with the paddles ashortdistanc'e-below the top of the liquid; as indicated. Reference numerarm'clesig'natesa conveyor having a conveyor belt 15. f

A number of rollers which have been designated by reference numeralsl6,-ll-,'l8,l9, 20, 2|, 22; 23, 2d and 25 are mountedfor rotation aboutaxes perpendicularto the plane of the drawing. A conveyor screen 26encircles the end rollers l6 and and passes over rollers "$18,123; 2!and2-2 and 23. Another conveyor screen 21 passes around rollers 23, 24,and about roller 22. One of these rollers is driven from a suitablemotor in such a direction that the conveyor screens move in thedirection of the arrows. It will be observed that the section of screenbetween rollers 22 and 25 and between rollers 22 and 23 are double for apurpose which will later appear. A conveyor 28 is mounted at therighthand end of the cooking vat, when viewed as in Figure 1, and passesaround and about rollers 29, 30, 3i and 32. This conveyor belt moves inthe direction of the arrow. A partition 33 is positioned in vat 5 in therelationship to the conveyor 2| shown in the drawing. A paddle wheel 34is mounted at the upper part of vat 5 and rotated in a counterclockwisedirection for the purpose which will later be explained. Positionedabove the straight section of screen connecting rollers 2| and 22 is ahopper 35 having its bottom closed by roller 36. Above this hopper is aconventional slicing machine 31 that, in this instance, is employed forslicing carrots, while the slicer designated by reference numeral II isused for slicing potatoes.

A stream of water from pipe 38 flows into hopper 35 and after passingthrough the screen conveyors flows into pan 39 and thence through a pipe40 to a waste pipe or to a tank from which it may be pumped for reuse.

Let us now consider a case in which the apparatus shown in the drawingis in operation, the conveyor belt moving in the direction of thearrows. The section of conveyor belt between rollers l6 and 2| willgather potato chips from the 2,512,591 1 f L 1 .';:"fi

now pass between conveyor belts 2'6 and 21 and be carried towards theroller 22. While in this position, and while turning around roller 22,the

two slices will be pressed into close contact and will be held in closecontact until they 'h'ave passed roller 23. During aportion of thispassage, they will pass through'the hot fat in the cooking vat and willemerge in partlyap'rocessed state. The application of heat while theyare .held inconta'ctwill serve to-weld the two slices atojsuch an extentthat they will continue as a :unit. .In the drawing theslices, afterthey have Ybeen liberated in the hot processing liquid, have beendesignated by: reference numeral 42. Paddle whee1=3l "serves toimove thecompound slices 4?.

tinto= contact with conveyor belt 28 which then .removesithem:fromthevat and'deposits them on 'a conveyor l5 that permits the chips to drain:and from which theyzare deposited in a suitable "container. After thechips havebeen released ;from-between conveyor iii and 21, they will besubjected to the dehydratingand frying action of .thehot 'liquidfi andwill curl in the manner of ordinary potato' 'chips. In Figure 2, apotato 'chip 12 has beenshown and "supported thereon is aslice orchip'of carrot, which has been designated by reference numeral 43.

InFigure 3, the fully processed food product has been showninendelevation for the purpose =-.of indicating its curved shape.

It has been found that slices of potato and carrot, when first pressedtogether and then subjected to heat treatment, will adhere to such anextznt that they will thereafter constitute a single um Having describedthe invention what is claimed as new is:

l. The method of producing a food product which comprises, slicingpotatoes, depositing slices of carrot on the potato slices, exertingpressure'on theslicesto force them into contact, and immersing theslices in a hot cooking fluid while held in assembled relation, wherebyadherence --is--eifected.

2. The method of producing a food product which comprises slicingpotatoes, depositing slices-of carrot .onthe potato slices, exertingpressure on the slices to force them into contact, immersing the slicesin a hot cooking fluid while held in assembled relation, wherebyadherence is effected, and then releasing the assembled slices tocomplete the dehydrating while freely suspended in the cooking fluid.

JAMES B.

nnrnnnnons crrnn .The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITEDSTAEES PATENTS Date Number Name 'Re. 20,040 Romney 'July 21, 19361,806,302 Magr'ill 'May 19, 1931 1,868,183 *"Sweet July 19,19321,933,557 Kalvin Nov. '7, 1933 2,225,068' Marriott Dec. 1?, 19402,244,145 Erickson June'3, 1941 2,286,644 Pringle et a1. June 16, 19422,350,179 Marvin May 30, 19% 2,352,447 Powers et al J une 27 1944

1. THE METHOD OF PRODUCING A FOOD PRODUCT WHICH COMPRISES, SLICINGPOTATOES, DEPOSITING SLICES OF CARROT ON THE POTATO SLICES, EXERTINGPRESSURE ON THE SLICES TO FORCE THEM INTO CONTACT, AND IMMERSING THESLICES IN A HOT COOKING FLUID WHILE HELD IN ASSEMBLED RELATION, WHEREBYADHERENCE IS EFFECTED.